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European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency
News article1 February 2023European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency

CINEA project helps tidal array become world leader

H2020 Energy EnFAIT project expands the Shetland Tidal Array.

EnFAIT
Nova Innovation

In 2016, the world’s first offshore tidal array was created. The array of three underwater tidal turbines marked a new milestone for tidal energy and technology in Scotland and beyond.

A fourth turbine (Eunice) was added in 2020.  And now, with the installation of the 5th and 6th turbines, it becomes the array with the largest number of turbines anywhere in the world. Turbines 5 and 6, Grace and Hali Hope, are connected via a pioneering subsea ‘hub’, sending power to shore by a single export cable. This innovation delivers significant savings on subsea cables, further reducing the cost of tidal power, essential as the industry scales-up.

The EnFAIT Horizon 2020 project has been instrumental in supporting and expanding the Shetland Tiday Array, reducing tidal energy costs and increasing its reliability and bankability. In addition, Shetland has benefitted directly from the array powering local homes, businesses and local grid to bringing job creation and, more recently, the world’s first EV charge point powered purely by the tide.

Senior Policy Officer at the European Commission Matthijs Soede said:

“We are happy that the EU Horizon 2020 programme could support the development of tidal energy via the ENFAIT project and we hope that the good results of this project will attract further investors. Learnings from the continued operation and maintenance of all turbines, from Ailsa to Hali Hope, are extremely important and are a milestone for the whole ocean energy sector.”

EnFAIT receives funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.

Project duration: July 1, 2017 – 30 June, 2023 (72 months).

EU funding amount: € 14,914,599.

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